Morton



(No-Model.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 1. E. s. MORTON.v v WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 19, .1886.,

. Ehm- A OWN@ lill..

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' Re. MORTON.

i WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

No. 334,604. Patented Jan. 19, 1886..

Wn-N ESSES:

Fige.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EPHRAIM S. MORTON, OF PLYMOUTH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL LORING,OF DUXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS;

WIRE-NAIL MACHINE..

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 334,604, dated January19, 1886.

Application filed November 6, 1884. Serial No. 147,279. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM S. MoRToN, of Plymouth, in the county ofPlymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvementsin Wire- Nail Machines, of

-which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines whereby headed wire nails or rivetsmay be formed from a continuous length of wire by the co- [o operationof feeding mechanism which moves the wire forwardintermittently,gripping-dies that alternately grasp and release the wire,

y cutters which sever the wire at a point near the gripping-dies, andthus detach each nail.

and a header or hammer that upsets the end of the wire against thegripping-dies, thus forming the head of the nail detached by the nextoperation of the cutters.

The invention consists in making the gripzo ping-dies adjustable towardand from the cutters and header, and providing means for positivelyholding said dies in any position to which they may be adjusted. I amthus en` abled to vary the size ofthe head formed by the header, thedistance of the gripping-dies from the cutters, determining the amountof wire left projecting from the gripping-dies to be upset into a head,as l will now proceed to describe.

3o Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l represents a top view of a nail-machine provided with myimprovements. Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal section of the same online x x, Fig.

55 1. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged top view of the portion of the.machine to which my present invent-ion relates. Fig. 4 represents a topView of the lower gripping-die. Fig. 5 represents a bottom view of theupper gripping- 4o die. Fig. 6 represents a modification.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings. A represents the supporting frame or bed of themachine.

a b represent the gripping-dies,which grasp the nail wire t' while it isbeing headed. The lower die, a, is capable of moving horizontally towardand from the cutters g g and header h, hereinafter described, said die arestingloosel y 5o on ahorizontal seat, c.

cl d represent adjusting-screws,which work in tapped sockets in a lug,d,on the bed A and bear against the rear side of the lower die. Byturning said screws in one direction they are caused to force the die a(with the upper die, which rests in recesses formed for it in the uppersurface of the lower die) forwa-rd toward the cutters g g, while byturning the screws d d in the opposite direction they permit thegripping-dies a b to be moved 6o backwardly or away from the cutters.The dies a b are positively held at any point to which they may be thusadj usted by any suit able means-as, for example, by `wedges e e,inserted between the sides of the lower die, ci, and two ixed lugs,f f,on the bed A, as shown in Fig. 3; or, if preferred, by a setscrew, c',working in a tapped socket in one of said lugs and bearing against oneside of the lower die, a, so as to press the other side of 7o said dieagainst the other lug f, as shown in Fig. 6. The upper die, b, restsloosely on the lower die, so that it exerts no pressure on the wirebetween said dies, excepting when pressed downwardly by a cam, c',arranged over it on 75 a rockshaft,f, which is journaled in the lugs ff,and has an Varm or lever, g', at one end, which is pressed upwardly by aSpring, lz', against a cam, il', on the driving-shaftj, hereinaftcrdescribed. The cam c' depresses the 80 arm g, and thus causes the cam eto press the upper die downwardly once during each rotation of thedrivingfshaft.

g g represent the dies or cutters which sever the wire (or, as l prefer,nearly sever it) and form the usual beveled points of the nails. Thecutters g g are secured to slides Z Z,which are fitted to slide inguides crosswise of the. bed a. The slides Z lare reciprocated so as toalternately approach and recede from each 9o other by levers m m,pivoted at 'n n to the bed A, and cams o o on the driving` shaft j, theshorter arms of said levers being engaged with the slide Z, as shown inFig. l, while their longer arms have studs which engage with the cams o.

h represents the header, which upsets the end of the wire after theseparation of a nail therefrom, and thus forms the head of the nextnail. The header is a hammer attached 10o 4 to a slide, s, which isadapted to reciprocate in a longitudinal guide-groove in the bed A, andis reciprocated by means of a cam, u,which is continuously rotated bythe driving-shaft, and alternately draws back and releases the slide s,by engaging with a, shoulder, s', thereon, and a spring, j, which bearsagainst the rear end of the slide s and forces it forward when it isreleased by the cam.

The wire from which the nails are made is fed forward intermittentlythrough the gripping-dies by means of any suitable feeding device. Itwill be seen that by moving the gripping-dies forward toward the cuttersI shorten the metal left projecting from the gripping dies after thesevering of cach nail, and thus decrease the size of the heads formed bytheaction of the header. It' desired, the gripping-dies may be thusmoved to the point where the wire is severed by the cutting-dies, sothat no heads will be formed on the nails.

The time of the various operations of the machine is as follows: Supposea nail to have been severed, and the cutting-dies to have separated,leaving a short end of wire projecting from the gripping-dies. Theheader now advances toward the grippingdies, and the uppergripping-dieisat the same time pressed downwardly by the cam c', so that the wireisfirmly held while the header is upsetting the projecting end of the wireand forming the head. The header now retires, the cam c releases theupper gripping-jaw` and the feeding device moves the wire along. Ncxtthecutting dies approach the wire, act on it, forming the point of the naillast headed, and severing it (or, as I prefer, nearly severing it) fromthe wire, it being found advisable not toallow the cutting-dies toactually meet each other, on ac count of the mutual injuryto their edgesfrom such contact; hence they are caused to leave a. thin neckconnecting the nail with the wire. The cutters then separate, and theheader again advances, the partially-sevcred nail being knocked oti fromthe wire by a clearer, r, which strikes the nail before the headerreaches it. Said clearer is preferably an elastic strip of metal securedat one end to the bed A, under the slide s, its other end being bentupwardly and projecting forward over the nail last formed. The advancingheader strikes an incline on the clearer and dcpresses the end of it,which projects over the nail, causing said end to detach the nail, theheader then passing over the clearer and forming the next head, asbefore. \Vheu the header retires, the clearer springs upwardly to itsformer p0- sition. The detached nails drop through an aperture in thebed into a receptacle below.

I do not in this application claim any of the features shown anddescribed herein which are claimed in thejoint application of SamuelLoring and myself for patent for wire-nail machine, iilcd March 3,ltSSet, Serial No. 122,821., excepting the matter hereinafter claimed.

I claim- 1. In a wire-nail machine, the combination, with the header, ofgripping dies, through which the wire is projected, cutters for severingthe wire in front of the gripping dies, and means for adjusting saiddies toward and from the cutters, so as to regulate the amount ot' metalbetween them, substantially as described.

2. In a wire-nail machine, the combination, with the header, of thegripping-dies through which the wire is projected, cutters for severingthe wire in front of the grippingdies, and means for adjusting thegripping-dies toward or away from the cutters, so as to regulate theamount of metal between them, and a device for securing thediesintheiradj usted position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 4th day of November, 1884.

EPHRAJM S. NORTON.

W'ituesses:

W. E. ROGERS, H. C. RoGERs.

